Good versus Evil (attn: Rashad Ranch and CoL)

[Matalina]

OOC:  sorry it's taken me a while to get this on the road.

 

Gher and Rion had a job to do, they tried, they really tried, but Amadicia is such a hard place to be evil and not get caught.  In retrospect they probably should have turned down the job, but they were eager to please the Great Lord, and their scrawlings of dragon fangs on a local inn's door was witnessed in the dim lights of the city at night.  And witnessed none-the-less by a Child of the Light.  It might have gone down differently if Rion hadn't spoken too loud.  "The Great Lord will give us immortality for this Gher.  This man will not turn in the man he's holding for a darkfriend, no, he'll be called one himself."  Gher promptly hushed him but the damage was done, the child of the light started towards them, but neither man noticed at first.  It wasn't till he spoke.  "Stop you! Guards, we have omitted darkfriends here! Guards!" 

 

And more guards pilled out of the inn, and more Children of the light.  Gher and Rion could do nothing but flee.  They took to their horses and gallopped through town as fast as their horses could muster.  They needed sactuary, where to go was the only thoughts on their mind.  "Rumors say there's a ranch in Cairhein that will take us in.  Ride hard and lets get to safety before they catch us."

 

OOC:  CoL feel free to start prusuit and nearly catch them.  We'll give this phase about a week or two before we take it to the ranch so that everyone can participate.  And again I'm sorry and sorry for the short post but it's a start.

 

Mat

[Lih-Lyh]

OOC: Waited for a response, but as nobody had yet from our side, why don't I start us off?

 

Amadicia, most enlightened, the pinnacle of good examples.

 

The King's men did nothing, and were it not for the Children of the Light patrolling the streets at every given hour in the day there would have been riots and what have you from the famished populace. Unlike the incompetent guards, the Children kept the order, and the King was grateful to them, permitting their charges at the treasury with a free rein. A political reading of Amadicia's current state of affairs went something similar to the above, and was called astute.

 

In another quarter of the city, however the story was told with a subtle difference in the wording. The King's men did nothing, and were it not for the Children of the Light's heavy handed taxation and collection rounds, the disgruntled citizens would not have been incited to riot. Cursing out the incompetent guards who simply watched as the Children foreclosed their inherited estates and fields, nobles petitioned against a lackadaisical King, grateful for the Children drawing any attention and responsibilities away from him, and permitted the warriors of the Light to reign his treasuries freely, if not quite so lightly.

 

The outskirts of town where the Children were stationed most heavily, a legion worth of men defending their reputations violently, the first story thrived in the inn as it never did in the hearts of the speakers. It was at this in that the questioner reposed, a lone agent amongst her fellow Children of the Light, a wry smile lingering that had twisted her lips moments ago, when the old man had given her the spiel he was fed by the Children. If the Children had provided any grains at all to buy the loyalties the emanated from old, cataract-stricken men, then you betcha they had taken it from the warehouse of the King's, as well. Ask and ye shall receive had somehow persuaded itself to mean more, ask not, and ye shall receive anyway.

 

Somewhere else this made sense, but not to the questioner as she surrendered to the ennui of this routine. Questioning was her vocation, but having spent an incredible amount of time questioning the propaganda from her own section had given her a profound state … Unrest, fidgeting in the stool, tapping her fingers against the hard of the cherry wood table, rocking the three legs that supported her weight as all hundred pounds of herself shifted, elbows propped, leaning forward without much interest in the stories around her.

 

Observing was so different from reflection, in that there was no internal code, no "astute" standard to discriminate from. The watchgates of intelligence was there, but did not prohibit the absurd ideas from entering where she would retain any shred of information for later reflection. One silly notion could lead to another, just as silly if not more so, but from one to another a link was forged, and these associations made her more creative, able to devise scenarios, schemes, and adapt to the ever-changing world.

 

"Stop, in the name of Light!" That never worked quite as well as they told you it would up at the Dome, not without pursuit. Whether it was that the Guards had foolishly taken the name of Light in vain, or her fellow Children had drunk to the King's health too much too quickly, Evelyn did not know.

 

She snorted, surveying the ominous sign on the inn's door. Grabbing a lad readying his horse, this the naïve grunt who had blown the horn, called them all to alertness, lazily by the collars, she asked, "Where did the perpetrators go?"

 

A meaty, stabbing finger of blame drew her attention to the northeast, and if she squinted she thought she could make out two riders, pounding hard on the road: "They'll head for the gates, these fugitives. Let's intercept them." Innocents run as well, out of fear. Whether they were important would be revealed, in time. Although the Dragon's fang was a give-away, pointing toward evilness, and the shadow, she could understand the frustrations of youth; she was young herself, not too long ago. The frown on the grunt's face as he tried to work out what this implied amused her.

 

"Oh, you aren't sure you could leave without the Captain's expressed order? Tough," She reached for the man's horse smugly -- one look at her staff and he had permitted her to take the reins, or rather they had fallen from his gauntlet-gloved hands -- and saddled her newly commandeered mount, "because I can."

 

Soon, as soon as the pigeons flew, a search would start all over to smoke out the fugitives, for none of the Children would infringe on another's sphere of influence. Whether or not they really ought to deploy the same plots as the enemy to combat the shadow, to fight fire with fire, it was not her place to determine. The questioner accepted this as she accepted all happenings during her observations, and saved the interruptions of the self for later, quiet times of reflection. While she had been sleeping, much had happened, and for the moment she was right on their heels, a lone rider on a regimental mount, courtesy of the King in Amadicia.

[Dunbar]

"YAAAARGH!"

Bert shouted a fierce battle-cry. Somewhat fierce in any case. And whether or not it was a battle cry could also be questioned. In fact, if you looked into the matter, you might find it was a "Curses-I-forgot-my-left-boot-in-the-damn-inn" cry. In fact, that was probably what it was. Riding through narrow streets on his horse, pursuing the evil doers, Bert felt strangely alive. This was without a doubt the most exciting thing he had ever done. Except the incident with the trollocs. And as far as everyone knew, that was true. Bert tried another shout.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Ah yes, that sounded better to his ears! Those darkfriends were probably shaking in their boots by now. Darkfriends. Bert hadn't seen a lot of those. He hoped that he'd be the one to catch them, however unlikely that was, with him being amongst the last of the children to get on his horse. Damn horse. Bert supposed the whole kicking-it-to-make-it-run-faster plan he'd conjured wasn't the brightest of his ideas. He yelled some more.

 

 

[Kara_J]

Edalia was being taken on her first patrol when the commotion kicked off in the distance. Each Trainee had been assigned a senior member to patrol with, but Edalia's "minder" must have been the stuffiest one of the lot! His voice just droned on and on and a few times Edalia found herself in danger of sliding off her horse so close was she from falling asleep. She was vaguely listening to some lecture of the lawlessness of the district they were in, which he must have been repeating for the fiftieth time that night, when she heard the shouting in a distant street followed by the sound of galloping horses indicative of a chase.

 

Without stopping to think, or waiting for her Superiors orders, Edalia gathered up her reins and kicked her horse to a gallop, heading towards the commotion. She faintly heard her "minder" protest then follow. "Well," she thought to herself "he did say that this part of the district was lawless and that she needed to be in the thick of it to learn anything."

 

Soon she spotted the distinctive White cloaks in the distance and rode hard to catch them up. Drawing along side one of them she saluted and asked what had happened, though as she looked around she spotted a few Dragon fangs on the doors of some of the local populace.

[Nynaeve]

Ezekiel grunted at the corruption he had to wittiness every night when he took his usual nightly walk through Amador's streets. Drunken men, often accompanied by questionable women, or trundling alone along the streets with no apparent purpose and no visible sense of direction. Obscene loud callings, rude laughs, Dragon fangs scrawled on doors...

 

Ezekiel blinked. Moving his eyes back to the door he passed, his eyes widened. Suddenly, he realized he could make out the sound of trotting horses, mixed in the night's usual rumble. Feeling irritated to be stranded without his horse, Ezekiel quickly smiled as he saw one of the newly joined trainees, trotting in his direction. Standing in his way, Ezekiel forced the boy to stop. Gesturing him to dismount, Ezekiel flung himself on the horse and raced away towards the direction he suspected the rest of the party went.

 

A pursuit. Ezekiel was surprised that the Darkfriends weren't captured within the city and that a chase was needed. He would have to add that to his report. Obviously, there weren't enough scouts about, otherwise the Darkfriends would have been in custody already, tucked away in the Fortress' dungeon. Ezekiel kicked the flanks of his horse, hoping to catch up with the other Children of the Light. Justice had to be made and Ezekiel planned on being there to uphold it.

 

 

 

Ezekiel

Questioner

[CorenYi]

OOC: I'll flesh it out a little bit later. I'm getting this up because I need to, but I'm dangerously short on time due to work. Sorry if it's a bit short.

 

 

 

IC:

 

Word of the pursuit reached Donovan's ears early. News usually did. Even so, it was later than he'd have liked. He sent word to have Jitters ready to ride in ten minutes before reclaiming his seat at his desk. Picking up his old tattered quill, he unsealed his ink pot and set point to parchment with a purpose. The hectic scratching mirrored the pace of his thoughts as he scrawled out hasty instructions. Signing the final note with his personal stamp, he resealed the ink and stood. The time for plans was over. The time for action was now, and he had darkfriends to apprehend. The Lord Captain certainly couldn't count on the Hand to do it, so it was up to his Whisper.

 

Passing the instructions off to his personal aid who would see them into the appropriate hands, he marched for the courtyard, his brilliant white cloak billowing out behind him. Those men would not escape the city if he could help it. But if they did, his own men would meet him in the field, and they would be his by morning.

 

~Donvan Rile

[Guest Far Dareis Mai]

Sorcha felt most comfortable alone, and in the shadows. So this garishly bright white garb was a bit of an adjustment for her. She was proud to be a Child to be certain...but this white made her feel as though everyone was staring at her...though ultimately it was because they really were. When Sorcha had joined the Children of the Light, it had been her wish to be the sort of soldier that took care of things in a quiet way. Perhaps she could still become that someday, but first she would have to deal with this lower ranks stuff first.

 

She was doing a routine patrol as part of her training. Wandering around as unobtrusively as possible--again, very hard to do dressed like some fabled ghost..Sorcha did her best to monitor the goings on without looking like she was doing just that. It was her hope that she could catch some dark-minded individual red-handed. This part of her training she did with pleasure. Every big of experience would bring her that much closer to nabbing a real witch, the vilest kind of evil that there ever was.

 

Behind her, she heard a rather strangled YAARRGH sound, and turned to see Bert kicking his horse into a  quick canter. Almost immediately she dismissed it from her mind, knowing full well that Bert often experimented with various noises at odd moments, but then she saw a few more Soldiers on his tail, and knew this was for real. With a quick turn, she located her mare and mounted with ease. Wheeling the horse around, she followed the trail of kicked up dust. She wasn't too far behind the rest of the small group she had seen, but she kneed her horse into a fast canter to catch them up.

 

~Sorcha Barshande

[Twitchy]

Tuc stumbled out of the inn he had been drinking away his troubles in.  So far, none of his troubles were away, but he had a pretty nasty headache now.  Scratching his belly, Tuc stretched and yawned, scratched at his rugged face a bit, and adjusted his eyepatch.  Maybe he should have been a pirate.  Stiffling another yawn, Tuc remembered that pirates have off-duty, Children of the Light don't.  Flattening himself against the hard brick wall of the inn, his bloodshot, swollen-eyes darted to the left and right, looking for anyone who had seen him acting like such a slob.  Not seeing anybody, he grinned to himself, and forgot about the lot of people who had been in the inn with him.  Tuc cleaned his ear from ear wax with his finger, and flicked it onto the ground.  Suddenly, a clattering of horses hooves on the ground caught his ears, followed by yells of "Stop!" "Darkfriends!" and "YAAARRRRGGGHHHH!".  ...Ah crap. Tuc thought.  Maybe he could get a head start on all the other Children though, since he was in front of the Darkfriends themselves.  Tuc ran towards his horse, which ended up being a rather bad idea, because in his intoxicated state, he tripped over a stone, and landed face first into his horse's water.  Tuc tried to groan, but ended up bubbling instead.  Swearing that he would never drink again, he got out of the bucket of water, shook himself, and slowly, very slowly, got onto his horse.  He was just barely ahead of the Darkfriends at this point, but if he got out now, he would most likely catch them.

 

Sticking his heels into his horse's ribs, Tuc yelled ferociously.  Terrified, the horse bolted forward, forgetting that Tuc had yet to cut the rope over the horse's neck.  Tuc's horse promptly snapped it's neck, and fell to the ground.  Tuc tumbled down with his horse, and looked at the horse, smacking it a couple times to get it up and running again.  Deciding that the horse was merely tired, he kicked it in the throat for good measure, and began to stumble after the Darkfriends, who were way past him by now.  In fact, all but one of the Children were in front of him by now.  Rubbing his eyes, Tuc saw that the Child in last was none other then Bert, and Tuc threw his hand out for Bert to grab onto and swing onto his horse.  This act was not a smart move on Tuc's part, who instead grabbed the tail of Bert's horse, and had to pull himself up the horse's tail onto the seat.  Drunk.

 

[chillimous]

The sound of boots echoed down an alley in the city. Two pairs strode strongly and evenly across the mud-slick pathway in the dead of night. It was a routine patrol, and his body strongly suggested a bed would do him well at this moment in time. No conversation was shared between the two individuals, it was strictly business. Ramai Garbahim, one of the two, followed closely behind a superior he had been paired with for this patrol his eyes examining him calmly; plotting convenient accidents that were vaguely possible. He could not have predicted the subsequent events of that night.

 

A battle cry shattered the calm, carried by a chill wind from a fair distance across the city. Ramai's ears perked, and his eyes broke away to stare. His hand gripped his sword tightly. Instinctual though it was, he could not help but think a perfect opportunity had arisen for his 'superior' to meet an untimely demise. Another sounded, the same. He choked his voice with a veil of apprehension; Sir, could that have been a comrade? I recognise the voice... I think it might be another initiate, a room mate even. He did not wait for the Child's acknowledgment, he dashed to the street. His sword glinted in the moonlight as he made a fine show of defending the light and preparing himself for anything oncoming. The sounds of hooves thundered down the road as the Child dashed out onto the street with him; two pairs. The plan was set, he wanted to rid himself of his rising wish to butcher each and every member of the Children. One at a time.

 

The figures emerged from the darkness. They were pushing their horses to the limit, as they grew closer the snorting of the mounts grew more apparent. Ramai smiled calmly to himself, they would not take heed of two bystanders if they were being chased by that crazed buffoon, even if they were cloaked in this white trash. Drawing his sword backwards, he made as if to hamstring one mount, though his intentions were the complete opposite. He took in the stance of his companion, placing himself accordingly he pulled the calm veil over his emotions and focused on the task at hand. The horses dashed at speed towards them, and he calmly threw himself sideways, his feet propelling him past the child. Trailing his sword behind him, it cut at the tendons in the back of the Child's leg. He instantly wailed in pain and collapsed to the floor, blood pouring from the wound to trail down his leg. The horses charged and trampled the helpless man, his final cry rang through the city as his body was crushed under the weight.

 

Blood pounded through his body, his breath ragged. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and it quickly fled. Oddly shaken, he rose to his knees. Ramai took only in enough to know that these were darkfriends, he could tell. They had an aura about them any other darkfriend could recognise. Though, one stared at him for a split-second, and recognition shone in his eyes. He was shocked to the core, he quickly wiped the blood on the fallen man until his blade was clean. As the other children neared, two slowed amongst the group. He checked the mans pulse, dead. Blood was leaking onto the streets in rivulets along with his glazed eyes and disfigured body, it took no genius to know that this man was dead. A...Ap...Apparently this man was not so fleet of foot. The two riders took him down without a second thought.. His shock was genuine, albeit for a different matter. At a greatly distasteful command from a superior amongst the gathered Children, he rushed to the gate and mounted his own horse. Gripping the reins tightly, he kicked it into a canter before pressuring it to gallop. He galloped until he caught up. It was his first murder, other than that one time. He felt... Strange. Vaguely empty. So this is murder?

 

He rode, his mind stuck on the image of that man. It was not a necessity... Why can i not shake it..?

[Nargbert]

Ashley muttered.  It had been several months now and he had yet to accuse someone of being a dark friend.  Oh, it didn't really matter to him if they were or not, but the opportunity hadn't even arisen for a chance.  Were these peons really so scared of the children that they wouldn't put one foot wrong.  patrolling this worthless place was almost no longer worth it.  But wait, was that a woman throwing some waste onto the ground?  Here was his chance.  He quickly walked up to her.

 

"Excuse me miss, but what you just did supports all those who are friends of the dark.  Oh, they may not be people, but rats and birds."  His rant almost made him miss the sound of the horses moving quickly down the street.  Wondering what the commotion was he peaked his head out.  Suddenly those trying to escape sped on by him.  When he turned back he saw several children in pursuit.

 

It was a real chase!  Maybe these fiends would be caught and need to be punished in the field.  He couldn't pass this up!  Completely forgetting the woman he ran after his horse.  A real chase!  Death to the Dark Friends!

 

Ashley

[Sam]

The racket spalled cutlery onto the floor. Brandeis leapt from his bed and under his room’s doorway noticing only after—with a mild case of embarrassment—that there was no earthquake. What in the light? Bang—an ink rolled along the floor. Bang—quills, brushes, and food. Brandeis groaned loudly when he finally got it. As expected a whicker responded from the other side of the wall. It sounded amused.

 

“I’m going back to bed.”

 

BANG

 

“I mean it.”

 

BANG

 

“Good night.”

 

Brandeis crawled back into bed.

 

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG—

 

“Alright, Alright! Enough. I’m up, I’m up.” He muttered under his breath, “bloody horse.”

 

BANG

 

He stepped outside and faced his horse. “What, what could you possibly want? I was sleeping.”

 

His horse whickered—mockingly, Brandeis was sure—and tossed its head in a direction Brandeis' eyes followed.

 

“Ah. I see. A good old-fashioned run down. You can forget about that. We’re too old, especially you.”

 

His horse gave him that look.

 

“No, I absolutely refuse. Do you remember what happened last time? I basically had to carry you out, and you’re the bloody horse.

 

If anything that look got worse.

 

“Blood and bloody ashes, I won’t have it!” Brandeis muttered as he went inside, already returning with his saddle and tack when the next series of bangs struck.

 

It did not take long to latch the saddle and bridle and before he knew it Brandeis was mounted. Normally his horse would put up a hell of a fight, just because it could; obedience was not a good sign.

 

“Just so you know, we’re not getting into any fights. I’m serious.” He could not see His horse’s face but knew he was getting that look again. “I’ll just go get my shield and hammer, shall I?”

 

Ten minutes later the pair was ready. “Well, we’re pretty far behind now, time to show some of those young fellows how it’s done.” Sure that no one was watching, Brandeis let out a yip and his horse responded by shifting into a gallop.

 

[Matalina]

Gher and Rion ran as fast as they could, their horses were near exhuastion but they didn't dare stop for more than an little while.  They'd only managed to stay ahaead of those persueing them.  They were relentless.  Once into the wilderness it was far easier to stay ahead of them, but they must have had a tracker because they were almost always just over the hill behind them.

 

Gher and Rion even tried splitting up once before reaching Cairhein, but it seemed they only were follwed quicker.  With less of a contingient they were easier to follow, so they decided to stick together.  They knew that they were close to their supposed haven.

 

Their horses finally exhausted collapsed, first Gher's and then Rion's an hour later.  They were on foot now, as their horses took their last breaths, there was no time to wait.  A small town was in sight and they hurried as fast as they could.  A qucik inquiry pointed them west, to the only ranch in the area.  They were almost safe!

 

Gher and Rion stumbled through the Ranch gates and were greeted with blank faces as they flashed their darkfriend signs.  No response?  How could this be?  A woman wearing clothes that were surely not those of a ranch worker came to see the comotion?  "Franc what's the problem here?"

 

"I don't know these guys won't say anything." 

 

Cari saw the flash of the darkfriend sign, "I'll take care of it.  I'm sure Liam needs your help with that mare he's training."  He nodded and went off to find the rogue mare.  Liam had just taken over the ranch and was having some difficulty with some of it's denzien's.

 

"What's the problem?"  Cari had yet to respond with the darfriend sign, she didn't want strangers putting her family or friends in jeopardy. 

 

"We need to speak to the Master of the house!"  It was almost an order and Cari fought her urge to choke the man.

 

"Fine but be nice about it or you will find yourself in deeper water!"

 

They guffawed and Cari wished they would make a move and she could hurt them.  The shadow stirred and Cari fought to keep it down. 

 

Cari took the two men to Petra who was home tending things while Sara greived for her husband's loss.  It was still a fresh wound and the whole ranch was having troubles adjusting.  Technically this was Cari's call now, but they wanted to see the master of the house but Liam was busy with his chores, so it was Petra next.

 

Cari left them with Petra to tend as she went outside.  She knew her friends would have questions, but Cari wasn't sure how much she could tell, other than that they were in trouble and darkfriends.  But Cari went back to work.

 

Cari & Gher/Rion

[Dunbar]

Bert's behind hurt. He was pretty sure Tuc's hurt harder, seeing as he had ridden all this way without a saddle, but he still complained. Loudly. Tuc didn't seem to be bothered by it, though, so he kept at it. He rather liked Tuc. And his eye patch. Bert figured he probably liked the eye patch more than he liked Tuc, but then again, he had to admit to himself, he liked the eye patch more than he liked most of the things he'd seen in the children so far. Maybe Tuc should be a pirate. Their horse had collapsed from exhaustion a couple of miles back, quite possibly from having to deal with two children of the light, one severely drunken and swaying dangerously, and one shouting and wishing he had his boot back. Thinking back on the whole affair, Bert thought the horse might be faking it, seeing as he was certain he'd heard a mocking whinnie and galloping hooves just after they'd started walking away from the not-quite-so-poor-afterall beast. "My foot also hurts, the left one that is, the one without a boot, and I'm hungry, you don't have any chicken do you?" Tuc's only answer was a drunken burp. "I thought so..." Bert said sullenly. He was damn hungry. If only he'd remembered to shove some potatoes in his pockets before rushing out of the inn. But alas, now he was stuck out in the wilderness, with no hope and no friends, besides Tuc that was, looking for darkfriends who could be halfways to Tar Valon by now. He and Tuc were probably off course by miles and miles, and since none of them could figure out the right end of a hoof print, well, not Bert in any case, Tuc might've been able to if he was somewhat more sober, they were completely and utterly lost. Bert had already started composing a little death note to leave by their bodies. He figured that, if things got too far out of hand, Tuc might present a tasty treat. If only he could make some fire and roast him. His mouth got wet just thinking about it. Tuc burped again. "Yes, I know what you mean... Damn shame none of the other children have passed us though. We must be in the middle of nowhere." Tuc looked like he might be nodding, but then barfed a bit in the grass. Bert patted his back in companionship. "There there, my tasty friend..." Tuc seemed to raise an eyebrow before another wave of nausea washed over him.

 

They walked for another few minutes. Bert was hungrier than ever before. Well, at least as hungry as he'd ever been this evening. Looking once more at Tuc, wiping vomit off his sleeve and looking somewhat confused, Bert thought once more of food. Of chickens and fish and bread, and perhaps some tasy butter. Then, in the middle of a most hunger inducing thought, he saw a light. There, on the horizon! Surely that was a ranch! And a ranch meant food! And a food meant he didn't have to eat Tuc! ... Yet. "There! Do you see it!? We're saved! Saved I says!" Tuc didn't seem to fully comprehend the consequences of this, and gave a slight nod, looking as confused as ever. And then, just before Bert started waving his hands and shouting, he saw something deeply disturbing. Two people, moving on foot and looking very worn out were slowly making their way into the ranch. From this distance it was hard to tell who and what they were, but he had a nasty gut feeling telling him these were the very people they were chasing. His gut was also telling he was hungry, but that would have to wait. "It's them!" Bert urged. Tuc silently agreed. "Be quiet damn you! If we sneak up on them and take them down, we'll be heroes! We'll be given all the gold we can eat!" Tuc once more agreed without making any sorts of motion. Bert admired his odd ability to do things without really doing them. "Get down!" Bert insisted in a more stern tone of voice. When Tuc once more did nothing, he pushed him down on his belly so they could crawl to the ranch unnoticed. "There, now we sneak up on them!" And so they started their slow and somewhat down to earth approach towards the ranch.

[WhiteWolf]

Yrean was checking some of the snares he had set up along a few small animal trails, well used but distant enough from the Ranch and the town to not draw attention from the other hunters, for there to be a chance of something for the pot tonight. This thought pleased Yrean as he did not like not contributing to the evening meal and this would be his way of paying Cari back for all the meals she had provided since Yrean had been living in Fairhaven.

 

It did not take long for Yrean to check all of his snares and for once he had been lucky and now carried a brace of rabbits in a bag slung over his shoulder. Deciding to return to his home above what would be his shop, Yrean headed straight for Fairhaven, wanting to gut and skin the rabbits and then take them, along with a couple of bottles of wine, to the Ranch in time for Cari to cook them.

 

As he was nearing Fairhaven he heard the sound of a large group of horses, their hooves pounding out a rhythm on the hard packed earth of the road. Quickly he wriggled his way through the hedge bordering the road and made sure he could not be seen from the road, his years of training in the Yards enabling him to melt into his surroundings with ease. It did not take long for the column to crest a small rise and come into view, quietly Yrean cursed at the sight of them. “Blood and bloody ashes, that be all we be needing, bloody Whitecloaks.”

 

Yrean waited for the column to disappear over the next rise and then once he was sure they were gone he headed across country, skirting Fairhaven and heading directly for the Ranch. Cari would need to know about this, as would Demus, Yrean knew that when dealing with Whitecloaks it was best to be circumspect and to expect surprises, usually of the unpleasant kind.

 

Yrean Stavrosi

 

Ranger and Shopkeeper

 

I am Grey. I stand between the Light and the Shadow

 

[Twitchy]

Tuc wasn't sure if Bert was checking him out, or just trying to find out what he would taste like.  Nah, that'd be crazy, that's just the hard mixed liquor talking. Tuc thought concerning how Bert was looking at him.  Bile rose up in his throat, and he vomited all over the grass.  Stupid grass deserved the vomit, it shouldn't have been moving around like that. Rubbing his mouth, Bert said something about tasting him.  Tuc began to raise his eyebrow, realized that that much of a motion was a dumb idea, and vomited all over the grass again.  Groaning, he licked vomit off of his mouth.  Then promptly spit it onto the grass. 

 

"There! Do you see it!? We're saved! Saved I says!"

Tuc nodded dumbly.

 

"It's them!" Bert urged. Tuc silently agreed. "Be quiet damn you! If we sneak up on them and take them down, we'll be heroes! We'll be given all the gold we can eat!" Tuc once more agreed without making any sorts of motion. "Get down!" Bert insisted, pushing him down "There, now we sneak up on them!"

 

Tuc slowly crawled forward, then stopped when he began feeling something wet seeping through his pants.  With a puzzled look on his face, he looked down to his trousers, and saw that he was lying in his dinner.  Taking in a deep breath, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Bloody hell and bloody ashes bloody bloody bloody bloo-hurk!"  He was cut off as Bert jumped on top of him, covering his mouth, and with a terrified look on his face.  Glaring at Bert angrily, which was damn angry with only one eye and an eyepatch, Tuc forced himself with his drunken powers to bite Bert's hand.  Falling backwards with a yelp, he flicked his wrist at Tuc's general direction. For a moment, his drunken, jumbled thoughts cleared, and he realized that with all this commotion, perhaps the Darkfriends would hear them. He slowly looked over towards the direction of the ranch.  Thankfully, none of the Darkfriends seemed to have heard them, so Tuc promptly passed out on the ground, at ease.

[Nynaeve]

Ezekiel decided it was about time to put some order into things. When he arrived at the ranch, he was informed that the Darkfriends were last seen entering it. So the whereabouts of the pray was, at least for the time being, known. However, just making their way into the ranch was not prudent. The Children who were there with him seemed tired from the chase. One actually passed out, though Ezekiel doubted the ride was not the reason. He signaled Bert to pick up his pathetic friend and carry him back to where all the others were settling for the time being.

 

There were still other CotL making their way to that location. It was best to wait for reinforcement to arrive and make an organized arrest. The fact that Ezekiel was surrounded mostly by initiates supported his decision. And added to that was of course the uncertainty. No one knew what lay within that ranch. It might be filled with innocent people who foolishly recieved strangers into their home. Or, that ranch could be filled with more Darkfriends, which would mean the CotL might be outnumbered. There were many scenerios, but in all of them, waiting seemed like the best notion.

 

Whether they were seen by the runaway darkfriends or not, was irrelevent at that point. Ezekiel sent a few of the men to take positions around the ranch. No one was going in or out until reinforcement arrived. And when that happened justice could finally be done. One way or the other.

 

 

 

Ezekiel

Questioner

[Matalina]

Yearn came to the ranch early, it was the middle of the day and he had his own things to do, but his news was worse than Cari had feared.  It was hardly good news to hear that there were Children of the Light lurking around the area.  Probably looking for their new friends.  Cari told Yearn about the two seeking Liam and Petra.  Cari did not feel good about this. 

 

Cari found Liam working with the horse, and he was having issues.  Cari interrrupted him and told him of the new comers as well as the news Yearn had told her.  Yearn stood a little ways back, Liam was soft and a bit "fruity" but that wasn't why Yearn stood back, he hardly interferred with Ranch proceedings, and with Nathana dead he was a bit more leary around the place.

 

Liam walked back with Cari leaving Franc and Vik to tend the ruley horse, they seemed more capable of the job than Liam, though he was trying.  It was Liam's house now, it was his responsiblity to keep everyone safe, she wondered if he could.

 

OOC:  Feel free to come on in.

 

Cari

[Sam]

The chance to assess a working force of Children was the only reason Cuortam had chosen to tag along. The Quarter Master had various responsibilities pertaining to his beloved army but leading heavy cavalry into battle was not one of them. Instead, as an ‘impartial observer’ his bespectacled eyes took in everything and as he ought not to forget, his hand was constantly scribbling on a small pad of paper.

 

Thus far he had witnessed little by way of hard military discipline. A mad dash charge after various suspects was in progress and there did not even appear to a soldier of rank amongst them to lead. This would make its way into his report, oh yes. There was a questioner riding a little distance from him; in theory she would the commanding officer. He scribbled a note to have her take some equitation lessons.

 

A short rocky ride later and the haphazard collective of Children halted their charge at the boundary of what looked to be a ranch. Excellent, maybe they could arrest some cattle for loitering next. There were dozens of mounted children at most, none of whom had any idea of what to do next. Cuortam needed a new piece of paper.

 

If anything the Questioner among them receded into the background. One might assume from this that she did not want to be noticed. Well, that was that then. In one fluid movement he was dismounted and striding in front of the others, for as everyone knew, ten percent of all horse related incidents came from bad mounting and dismounting practice.

 

“Attention!” His voice was drawn out, loud and effortless as any drill sergeant, for twenty percent of all drill instructors damaged their vocals by using improper techniques. “Now which one of you cares to explain to me why exactly we find ourselves in the middle of nowhere?”

 

The Questioner strode forward and explained the situation while he listened. “Excellent. Well done. Now while I arrange these boys and girls into something reminiscent of a military formation you may drop and do as many push-ups as it requires for you to understand the implications of an officer displaying gross lack of discipline. And dear? That means no less than fifty.

 

“Boys and girls, pay attention: I want half of you off your horses right now. Don’t look at me cross-eyed son or I’ll pull you out of the saddle myself. Down. Now. Anyone lucky enough to remain mounted: I would like to introduce you to a little thing called perimeter control. That’s my fancy word for riding around the outside of this here farm and stopping anyone who so much as looks like they want to leave until such time as orders to the contrary are sent, don’t forget to always have at least one other of your number in your sights. Now, ladies!”

 

“Everyone else—no, not you, you keep thinking—split into groups of four and don’t make me choose them for you. Good.” Cuortam then sent a quarter of those groups to the north end; others to the west … until all four directions were covered. He had sent each group with a knotted braid. Using an old-fashioned timing technique they would co-ordinate their efforts soundlessly.

 

A few moments later the Children of the Light began to move in.

 

 

[TaeaDawn]

He didn't like it when things were happening.  Especially things around the Ranch.  Bad things around the Ranch meant really bad things.  He finished up what he was working on and when in search of someone in the know.  What he found were a bunch of people looking like they were waiting for trouble. 

 

Not the best place, and considering the way things had played out lately, he decided to make his way to a certain friend-ish person.  Standing next to Yrean, he nodded to the other man.  "News?" He asked in a quiet voice, trying not to disturb anyone.

 

Demus

[WhiteWolf]

Yrean returned Demus's greeting with a nod and then started to explain what he knew. "I be returning to Fairhaven after a good hunt, when i be seeing a bunch of bloody Whitecloaks skirting the town. There be only one place they be going, here. I be no liking them nor their stinking self righteous attitude. We be having enough trouble with them when we be in the City, there be no need for it here."

 

Yrean did not like this situation one bit and if he had had the time he would have insisted that Cari and the children leave. He knew she would not have done so with Demus so obviously he would have had to join them, but there was no time and this did not sit well with Yrean. After this was over there would be a need to working on some way of learning who or what was around in time for them to take measures.

 

"I be wondering who be the new people Demus, they be friends of yours and Cari's?"

 

Yrean

 

Ranger and Shopkeeper

 

I am Gray. I stand between the Light and the Shadow

[TaeaDawn]

Whitecloaks?  That was brilliant.  He'd love to know who they guys were that had managed to bring the Children of the Light to the footsteps of a ranch infested with Darkfriends, but he doubted he'd get the chance.  Well... perhaps he might get another lesson from torturing them, but if they weren't tortured then they must be in the higher ups.  Not a pleasant thought since they'd obviously been stupid enough to get caught AND to bring trouble onto one of the few refuges in the world for their kind.

 

He wasn't sure what to say to Yrean about being friends, but then again, they certainly weren't his friends no matter how you looked at it. 

 

"I don't know them." He said with a shake of his head.  "Doesn't mean they don't know anyone else though.  You'd hope they wouldn't manage to bring a lot of trouble down on us unless they knew someone here, but i've rarely met a Whitecloak worth the title they bear."  His father was the only one that rang a bell.  And Jeffrey who was no longer one of them anyway.  Having lived with them until his 12th year, Demus had very little respect for the hypocrisy of the men known as Children of the Light.

 

Demus

[Nynaeve]

Ezekiel snorted. Seeing Cuortam taking charge of the party was particularly amusing. There were other Children who would have been more appropriate to take charge then the Quartermaster, but the chaos of the chase seemed to have taken its toll and almost all of the CotL present seemed to be confused as to where they were standing. Good thing Cuortam was around to save the day. Ezekiel chuckled and joined the group ordered to enter the main house in the Ranch.

 

When they entered the main room of the house, they found a few of the residents there. Without even sparing them a glance, Ezekiel signaled four of the Children to search the entire house and bring every living soul back to main room. After that, the two Darkfriends could be identified by the ones who caught them in the act and the residents could be questioned as to their involvement. Their innocence, for the moment, was in question.

 

Ezekiel looked at the residents of the house and stepped forward to address them all, none in particular. Some of them seemed surprised by the CotL's sudden presence. Some seemed nervous. Ezekiel wished he could read minds. He wondered if they were scared. Fear meant they had something to hide and if something was concealed then usually it involved something dark. But they were right to fear.

 

"We apologize for the discomforts accompanied by our presence. I assure you they will be temporary. We are in pursuit of two individuals identified as Darkfriends. They were last seen entering this house. However, they never left it. Which, of course, means that they are clearly still here. Facilitate this by telling us where they might be hiding within the house and we might be inclined to believe that these two are indeed strangers and not connected to this place in any way or form. Refuse...and well, I suppose we'll have to draw our own conclusions as to your involvement." Ezekiel's unpleasant smile seemed to impact quite a few of the people standing in front of him. They knew he was being completly serious.

 

"What say you?".

 

 

 

Ezekiel

Questioner

[Matalina]

Liam started to stammer that there were no strangers there.  Cari had just been rounded into the room, she soon saw most of the residents standing in awkward places in the main room.  It would have been better to done this outside.  Cari shook her head at Liam, he gave her a look of defiance and continued to say there were no darkfriends here. 

 

Liam was going to get everyone of them sent to the questioners for this.  There were only a few places they could have hidden them and Cari knew them all.  Cari pulled away from her handler.  He grabbed her arm again and Cari gave him a look that could kill.  He warily dropped his hands.  Cari didn't speak to anyone in particular.  "I'll show you were you  mind find them."

 

Liam protested.  "Cari..."  But Petra glared at him and and he shut up. It was a good thing he was not a leader here.  He only ran the ranch now. 

 

Cari looked under the stairs that lead outside the ranch house.  It was the only safe place Liam or Petra would hid anyone, any place else could reveal the true nature of the place, thamkfully these places were well hidden and only those who knew the house could find them.  It was a genious design.

 

The two strangers were pushed into the main room roughly and Cari noticed there was still a lack of someone from the Ranch.  Where was Nalia?

 

Cari

[Dunbar]

Bert was giddy with excitement. His right hand rested on his swords handle whilst the other one hung limply at his side. He wished he could do something dramatic and appropriate with it, but alas, there it hung. They had entered the farm and rounded up the inhabitants. Bert was certain they were all darkfriends, but, as sorry as it was, he had to wait to brandish his blade until Ezekiel gave the ready. Soon enough Ezekiel had taken command of the situation, and sure as light, there they were, the two darkfriends, given up by the people Bert was now starting to doubt were darkfriends after all. I mean, no one would give up one of their own, except... Except a darkfriend perhaps? Bert scowled around. So many faces, looking... Looking as if they anticipated something. But what!? Bert tensed himself, awaiting their onslaught. Any moment now. They'd throw themselves upon Ezekiel, but they would not be fast enough! Nay, in their way, blocking their thrusts and slashes would be Bert, sword in hand, defending Ezekiel and defeating the darkfriends. This heroic feat would, of course, grant him at least three promotions and a nice bonus. Ah yes, Bert couldn't wait. Time moved slowly as Bert drifted into his imagination.

[Nynaeve]

IC:

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow at the lack of feedback he was receiving from the ranch's residents. It was suspicious. He was certain that most of the people in the room probably had no idea what he was on about. Yet at the same time, no one was even trying to convince him of their innocence. Everyone present just seemed like trapped wild animals, unsure if moving would be a smart idea. It was extremely peculiar. Ezekiel's interest sparked. He had a feeling that questioning some of them would be challenging.

 

"I'll show you were you mind find them." Ezekiel spotted the woman that came forth and spoke. Surprising. The woman must have had some sort of position within the ranch to take the reins of the situation. But little did it matter to Ezekiel. He was almost disappointed at the confession though. Almost. Granted, retrieving the information might have been more interesting, but sometimes the easy way was what it was. Easy. And quick.

 

Someone tried preventing the woman from speaking. It only took one glare from the woman to quiet him. Ezekiel gestured one of the CotL to keep an eye on the man. Obviously he had something to hide. However, the straightforwardness of the woman did not, in any way, imply that she was innocent. Darkfriends were known for their treachery. They'd betray their own mother if their lives were at stake. So the help the woman offered could very easily be bread crumbs to lead them away from her doorstep.

 

The woman led Ezekiel and a few other CotL down the stairs that lead outside the ranch house. She pointed at the staircase. "Well, then, open it up, woman." The woman stared at him for a long moment before walking to the staircase. She knocked on it in three different places and a door opened inward. She looked back at Ezekiel and he urged her with a firm nod. She turned back and disappeared inside.

 

 

 

OOC: It's your move, Mat :)

I hope what I've RPed is ok. If not, let me know and I'll edit. I just winged it *lol*

 

 

 

Ezekiel

Questioner